Popular Delusions: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:01, 9 July 2023

Figure 1. Popular Delusions Gartner Hype Cycle

Figure 2. Night Wind Hawkers sold stock on the streets during the South Sea Bubble. (The Great Picture of Folly, 1720)

Popular delusions are ideas or cultural fads that become transiently popular in a given society. They are characterised by their rapid transmissibility and fickle nature^[1]. Historically, they start with a trigger (see Figure 1) then move rapidly into their hype phase, and cause frantic activity of crowds such as the South Sea Bubble (see Figure 2), Tulip Mania or Witch Mania. Today popular delusions have become ever more transmissible through the use of social media and the advertising industry. The Pessimist Archive tracks popular delusions overtime to remind us when we are in a fad, they may seem permanent but they are merely temporary blips.

Popular delusions can have significant impacts on society and individuals. They can lead to irrational behaviors, poor decision-making, and in some cases, can result in harm or injustice. Understanding and recognizing these delusions can help individuals and societies make more informed and rational decisions.

It's important to note that what may be considered a "delusion" can be subjective and may vary across different cultures and societies. What one group considers a delusion, another group may consider a deeply held belief or tradition. Therefore, the term should be used with caution and understanding of its potential cultural implications.

References

↑ The Effects of Twitter Sentiment on Stock Price Returns Gabriele Ranco,Darko Aleksovski ,Guido Caldarelli,Miha Grčar,Igor Mozetič Published: September 21, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138441

[1] The Effects of Twitter Sentiment on Stock Price Returns Gabriele Ranco,Darko Aleksovski ,Guido Caldarelli,Miha Grčar,Igor Mozetič Published: September 21, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138441

[1]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 [[File:Popular Delusions Hype.png|alt=Popular Delusions Hype|thumb|'''Figure 1'''. Popular Delusions Gartner Hype Cycle|220x220px]]
 [[File:South Sea Macro Delusion.jpg|alt=South Sea Macro Delusion|thumb|'''Figure 2'''. [[Night Wind Hawkers]] sold stock on the streets during the South Sea Bubble. (The Great Picture of Folly, 1720)]]
-'''Popular delusions are ideas or cultural fads that become transiently popular in a given society.''' They are characterised by their rapid transmissibility and fickle nature<ref>'''The Effects of Twitter Sentiment on Stock Price Returns''' Gabriele Ranco,Darko Aleksovski ,Guido Caldarelli,Miha Grčar,Igor Mozetič Published: September 21, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138441</ref>. Historically,  they start with a trigger (see '''Figure 1''') then move rapidly into their hype phase, and cause frantic activity of crowds such as the [[wikipedia:South_Sea_Company|South Sea Bubble]], [[wikipedia:Tulip_mania|Tulip Mania]] or [[wikipedia:Witch-hunt|Witch Mania]]. Today popular delusions have become ever more transmissible through the use of social media and the [[Advertising|advertising industry]]. [https://pessimistsarchive.org/ The Pessimist Archive] tracks popular delusions overtime to remind us when we are in a fad, they may seem permanent but they are merely temporary blips.
+'''Popular delusions are ideas or cultural fads that become transiently popular in a given society.''' They are characterised by their rapid transmissibility and fickle nature<ref>'''The Effects of Twitter Sentiment on Stock Price Returns''' Gabriele Ranco,Darko Aleksovski ,Guido Caldarelli,Miha Grčar,Igor Mozetič Published: September 21, 2015 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138441</ref>. Historically,  they start with a trigger (see '''Figure 1''') then move rapidly into their hype phase, and cause frantic activity of crowds such as the [[wikipedia:South_Sea_Company|South Sea Bubble]] (see '''Figure 2'''), [[wikipedia:Tulip_mania|Tulip Mania]] or [[wikipedia:Witch-hunt|Witch Mania]]. Today popular delusions have become ever more transmissible through the use of social media and the [[Advertising|advertising industry]]. [https://pessimistsarchive.org/ The Pessimist Archive] tracks popular delusions overtime to remind us when we are in a fad, they may seem permanent but they are merely temporary blips.
-=== Evolutionary Psychology ===
+Popular delusions can have significant impacts on society and individuals. They can lead to irrational behaviors, poor decision-making, and in some cases, can result in harm or injustice. Understanding and recognizing these delusions can help individuals and societies make more informed and rational decisions.
-Evolutionary psychology would infer that any human characteristic brought about by evolutionary change should cause an increase in fitness, it is a wonder therefore how then delusions often hold negative connotations that they arise. One rationale is the [[energy frugal brain]] making shortcuts ([[heuristics]]) to save energy. In modern times, the issue that arises here is that these heuristics were made for another time. I.e. all fatty foods taste nice to humans as starvation was prevalent, similarly on the next level computational non-critical thought was prevalent until the creation of information junk food like Candy Crush.
+It's important to note that what may be considered a "''delusion''" can be subjective and may vary across different cultures and societies. What one group considers a delusion, another group may consider a deeply held belief or tradition. Therefore, the term should be used with caution and understanding of its potential cultural implications.
 '''References'''<references />

Revision as of 00:01, 9 July 2023

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